Isabel's Honors Portfolio
Quarter 3!
Here are Spring Quarter's artifacts. I take you through my experience at the Food Bank, learning to be a Peer Educator, and what I thought of the Indigenous Walk.
UDistrict Food Bank with CELE
This quarter I took English 121, which was connected with CELE, the Community Engagement and Leadership Education program on campus. We were required to volunteer with one of the affiliations so I chose the University District Food Bank! I had always wanted to be more involved with Food Banks in my community, but it never really happened... until this! It was not only a very fun experience, but it was amazing being able to connect with people of various backgrounds. Seeing people in their most vulnerable states, and how our community does everything they can to provide support is beautiful. I was grateful to be apart of this. It also exposed me to more systemic issues regarding house and food insecurity. This English class gave me space and opportunity to dive into these complicated thoughts regarding our food systems. I just can't wait to continue learning more about how to mitigate food insecurity, along with how to erase the perpetual cycle of poverty.
PE Retreat
Winter quarter I chose to apply to become a Peer Educator for Honors 100 the following year! And our first group experience was a retreat at the beginning of Spring quarter. We spent the weekend getting to know one another, doing a lot of reflection, and soaking in the outdoors. This was the first time I truly connected to other Honors students. Coming into the retreat, I was nervous about not having much leadership experience, and I thought I was scared that other PE's wouldn't be able to relate. But in reality I had very meaningful conversations with everyone! I learned from PE's with prior leadership experience and from those without. I was even able to impart some of my knowledge onto them as well. Even though I was surrounded by a very intellectual group of people, I felt like my input was being valued. It was a safe, welcoming, and nurturing space where we were all able to grow together!
Indigenous Walk
In my English class, we were given the choice to either go on UW's Indigenous Walking Tour, or UW's Environmental Walking Tour. I chose the first, given that I have always wanted to educate myself more on the Indigenous presence and historical violence in the space I learn and live on at UW. I wish I would have gone on this tour earlier, I learned so much, that I should have learned on the first week of being at the UW. The tour took me to different spots on campus including the HUB, the Burke Museum [which the image shown is a part of], the Intellectual House, the Medicinal Garden, and more. While on this tour, learning about the violent past UW perpetrated, and the strength of the Indigenous community (past and present) represented on campus, I realized how much work UW still has in order to equitably support Indigenous students/faculty. I am so thankful to this tour for educating me on Indigenous past and present, and hope to have more conversations surrounding colonialism and survivorship, especially relating to the space I exist in.
